In an RFID system resonant circuits are generally used in both the reader and the transponder. Their use increases the efficiency of energy transfer between the two circuits, which would otherwise be much lower, severely limiting the range of operation. Optimal read range may be achieved when the reader is stimulated at its resonance frequency, and this also matches the resonant frequency of the transponder.
The inventor's earlier patent applications PCT/GB2006/050436 and PCT/GB2006/050440 outline methods that allow the use of a high Q antenna in an RFID reader. These methods prevent the conventional problems of a high Q resonant system associated with a narrow bandwidth. Firstly, a resonator is described that naturally tunes to the stimulus frequency over a wide bandwidth, independent of the level of loss. Secondly, a feedback method is described that increases the speed of response of the reader to load modulation in the tag, whilst maintaining the low loss for slowly varying signals.
An RFID interrogator provides for both tag to reader communication and also reader to tag communication. The prior art provides an improved efficiency method for tag to reader communications through the use of a high Q antenna. However, for reader to tag communications modulations of the reader energising field are required. A high Q resonator may not provide sufficient speed of response to allow amplitude modulations at the required rate simply through turn off and turn on of the stimulus. Obvious extensions to this are the use of a damping circuit to attenuate the reader field quickly at turn off, and drawing increased current from the power supply to accelerate the subsequent turn on.
The drawback of these prior art methods are that the turn on/off time may still be limited, and also they involve the dissipation of the resonance energy at each modulation. When data is passed from the reader to the tag, for example in programming or password exchange, the benefits of the high Q reader antenna will not be realised.
There is therefore the requirement for an RFID interrogator capable of both efficient tag to reader communication and also efficient reader to tag communication.